If you’re not enjoying keeping koi, you are not doing it right.
So says Ferndale-based koi expert Chris Neaves, who was presented with an international award for his volunteerism, dedication and leadership. The founding member of the South African Koi Keepers Society, and current avid researcher and prolific writer, knows more about promoting the growth, health, immune system strength, and brightly coloured scales of koi than just about any other South African.
He has even formulated his premium koi nutrition, which he sells.
His advice for koi keepers, whether new or experienced, is to be a waterkeeper before you become a koi keeper.
The critical water parameters in koi keeping are:
- dissolved oxygen
- temperature
- pH
- ammonia
- suspended solids
- nitrite
- alkalinity
- carbon dioxide.
“Each water quality parameter interacts with and influences other parameters, sometimes in complex ways,” Neaves said. “The only way oxygen can be dissolved in water is through contact with the atmosphere. A pump is critical to achieve this. Add a pump to move the water through the filters and circulate the water which is cleaned. One fill-up can be recycled many times.”
The koi expert added there was always a build-up of impurities koi excrete into the water. So a filter is needed for the ammonia excreted by the koi and for the solids such as dust and organic material that accumulate.
“Therefore, a key to successful koi keeping is your maintenance programme on your pond,” Neaves said. “Adding fresh water to the pond – use the old pond water in the garden and the fresh water in the pond – both will benefit.”
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